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Tuesday, December 27, 2016

The hazards of single-handed ocean racing are many. On December 21 Sebastien Destremau was sailing in 30 knots with three reefs in the main when his boat was "knocked down like a dinghy".
A glance at the race tracker shows that 51 days out the fleet is strung out along a line from the Falkland Islands east of Argentina to Cape Leeuwin - western Australia. Nineteen of the twenty nine boats are still racing. In fifteenth position is Rich Wilson aboard Great American. Leading is Armel Le'Cleac'h aboard Banc Populaire, making 16.9 knots with Brit Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) 281 nm behind and 5,900 nm to the finish line. On Christmas Thomson rounded Cape Horn just a mile or two south in variable southerly and southwesterly winds of 16 - 40 kts. He still managed some Christmas cake.
Wilson is at 55 S, 97 E - south of New Zealand. He trails Le Cleac'h by 5,900 nm and has 11,650 nm to finish. Another 2,000 nm behind is Pieter Heerema aboard No Way Back. He is limping along at 3 knots. Is there a way forward?